


True Love's Platonic Kiss

by undercoverofdarkness



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform, oblivious gays ahead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-07-08 01:11:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19861084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undercoverofdarkness/pseuds/undercoverofdarkness
Summary: Emma is put under a sleeping curse and everyone's favorite former Evil Queen wakes her up. Its completely platonic, right?“Did you just true loves kiss me?” Emma finds herself blurting out before she can take the words back and Regina is once again incapable of offering her more than a nod. She’s in shock, really everyone is, and Snow who is always willing to come to Regina’s defense steps forward.“She did true loves kiss you,” Snow says hesitantly. “But as I’m sure you know from your experience with Henry, True Loves Kiss can be platonic..."





	1. True Love's Platonic Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this way back in 2015. In between moving states, and starting new jobs, I never thought I would finish this. It still isn't finished but its 90% complete. Shameless plug for reviews, I need some to help get me over the hump of the final chapter ;) This takes place sometime after Robin's death and Emma and Regina are complete gay messes. I don't have a beta so please forgive any grammatical errors...I'm doing my best...

Her eyes flutter open and she lets out a breath she has been holding since being put under a sleeping curse.

“Regina?” she whispers quietly because even though she has just woken up, she already has a thousand questions running through her mind, almost all which directly pertain to the woman in front of her. Regina says nothing in return. Her mouth hangs open, but she eventually regains her composure long enough to close it and give Emma a nod of recognition. Its a cop out, but she doesn’t have a chance to address it before being attacked by her parents and Henry. They quickly become a mess of tangled limbs, and its all a bit overwhelming, but Emma has never felt more loved.

“How do you feel?” Snow asks with concern.

“Hungry,” Emma answers without hesitation and everybody laughs because of course Emma is hungry after a sleeping curse.

“Leave it to you to-” Regina starts to say but she never gets to finish because Emma pulls her into a hug. Its the first one they’ve shared in a long time and Regina doesn’t seem to know what to do with her arms but she eventually figures it out. Said arms are soft and comforting and even though Emma wishes Regina wouldn’t let her go, she does.

“Did you just true loves kiss me?” Emma finds herself blurting out before she can take the words back and Regina is once again incapable of offering her more than a nod. She’s in shock, really everyone is, and Snow who is always willing to come to Regina’s defense steps forward.

“She did true loves kiss you,” Snow says hesitantly. “But as I’m sure you know from your experience with Henry, True Loves Kiss can be platonic. I won’t speak for Regina, but I assume that's what's happened here.” She looks at the other brunette expectantly.

“Of course,” Regina says quickly. “Emma and I have formed a friendship over the last few years and we share Henry, so its only natural that this particular course of action has worked out in our favor.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” is all Emma manages to say in return because that sounds about right, but at the same time it doesn’t. However, Emma doesn’t know much about magic and decides to defer to Regina’s knowledge on the subject. She looks around the room and takes note of her boyfriend’s very noticeable absence. “Where’s Killian? Is he ok?”

The room remains silent and Snow, Charming, and Henry all look to Regina for an answer. She clears her throat before answering. “I don’t know how to tell you this-”

“Is he dead?” Emma interrupts because that is usually the fate that awaits all her lovers.  
Regina rolls her eyes. Its over the top theatrical, but its so quintessentially Regina, that Emma can’t help but know that shes back home. “Gods no, though I can’t say I would miss him.” 

Emma’s family nod their heads in agreement and Emma can’t help but wonder what has happened in the last three weeks to change their opinion of him so dramatically.

“I’m sorry to say this, but Hook is the reason you were in this situation to begin with.”

Now Emma has about a thousand questions she wants to ask but only manages to ask one: “How?”

Regina clears her throat uncomfortably before continuing.“The idiot was involved in yet another spat with Gold and decided to try his hand at magic. It was a revenge potion. Revenge is born of hate but in order for the potion to work he needed its exact opposite.”

“Love,” Emma stated simply.

“Exactly. Magic often relies on symmetry, the yin and the yang, as it were. At any rate, he needed something from the person he loved most, so he used a lock of your hair. He also needed something from the person he hated most, but because he’s an idiot, he forgot about that part and wound up putting you under a sleeping curse.”

Emma's brows knit in confusion.“I thought I needed to ingest it or do that needle thing...”

The brunette nods her head affirmatively.“As was previously mentioned, Guyliner has the intelligence of a goldfish. He put the potion in some cookies, planted them on top of the counter in the pawn shop, and pretended they were from Belle. He never took into account that if the cookies were left out in the open, anyone could consume them.”

A flood of memories comes rushing back to Emma. She suddenly remembers walking into the pawn shop and seeing the delectable cookies on display. She also remembers sneakily grabbing several of them and making them disappear in her mouth.

“I thought they were for the customers,” she says sheepishly, because she really should’ve known better than to eat cookies that have been sitting out in the open like that.

“Mom, what were you thinking?” Henry pipes up. “You’re not supposed to take food that is just sitting out in the open like that.”

“Kid,” Emma tries to interrupt but Henry is on a mission and as she learned long ago, there is no stopping Henry when he’s on a mission.

“There are alot of bad people in this town. You of all people should know that. You need to be more careful.”

“Kid," she interrupts again.

“I almost lost you,” he says with tears in his eyes and suddenly she has tears in her eyes. She pulls him into a hug and marvels at how tall he’s gotten. He used to be a little peanut of a boy but now he is only an inch shy of being her height.

“I’m sorry kid,” she manages to choke out. “I’ll be more careful.”

Weeks pass and Emma still has more questions than answers. She wants to investigate the "platonic true loves kiss but a) doesn't have the time, b) feels foolish investigating something that doesn't warrant an investigation, and c) is afraid of what she might find. What if Regina's kiss was more than platonic? What would that mean for Henry? What would it mean for their friendship? She shakes off the last question. Ever since the kiss their friendship mainly consists of silent head nods and the occasional "hey," so really there wasn't much of a friendship to speak of. To Emma's confusion and dismay, Regina seems to be regressing back into acquaintance territory, and even though Regina may not have meant it to be, Emma takes her behavior as an insult.

"She is just being Regina," Hook says dismissively over lunch at Granny's. "The Queen isn't a people person. She never has been. If anything I'd say she likes you."

Emma scoffs at his words. "What makes you say that?"

Hook stops eating and points at Emma with his namesake. "You're still alive."

Emma laughs "We all are. Regina is not who she was before. She protects people now and she lets them live their lives peacefully. Me being alive doesn't mean that she likes me. It just means that she's lumped me in with the rest of the nameless faces In storybrooke

Hook shrugs his shoulders. "I fail to see how that's a bad thing. The less Regina knows about someone the better." He takes a swig of Rum, lets out a "ah that's good", and wipes his mouth on his sleeve. He then grabs Emma's hand across the table and fixes her with what she has come to refer to as his "clingy puppy look". "Besides, you're doing good," he says. "You don't need her approval. You've got your parents, the little lad, and an incredibly handsome pirate to keep you company."

Emma gives him what she hopes is a convincing smile. She has more than she ever thought possible but there is an emptiness that has been growing inside of her since before she fell asleep, and it only seems to be getting worse. She stabs her chicken in frustration but her display of violence does not bring her any closer to finding any answers.

"Speak of the devil " Hook says and tosses a balled up napkin onto his plate, a note of exasperation in his tone. Emma looks up from her plate to see that Regina has entered the diner. She looks well-rested, happy even and Emma can't help but feel... jealous? The time spent apart does not seem to have had even the slightest effect on the other woman. Meanwhile Emma has been having trouble sleeping and is currently unable to button her pants due to some unanticipated weight gain. 

She gives Regina a nod (which seems to be their only form of communication these days) and for some inexplicable reason gets flustered when the other woman returns the favor. Her tummy does a few flips and her cheeks get kind of warm and maybe this is something she should look into more deeply. Then again...maybe it isn't. Maybe she should spend more time with Henry or pick up a new hobby. She has always had an interest in woodworking. Perhaps Gepetto would be willing to take her under his wing. She makes a mental note to speak to Gepetto and excuses herself from Hook. After his most recent stunt, Emma has put him on a probationary period. They are still together, but time will tell for how long.

Later that night she attempts to distract herself from thinking about Regina by working on some overdue paperwork, however she does not have much luck. She has too many questions about this supposedly Platonic True Love's Kiss.

She decides to start off with the basics and jots down what she knows.

Who: Regina  
What: True Loves Kiss (platonic or...)  
When: while I was sleeping  
Where:my bed

Emma tries not to think too heavily on that last bit, but fails miserably when she finds herself feeling warmer and wishing she was awake during the kiss in question. Which leads Emma to her next question: How?

Judging by the fact that she isn't still in an eternal sleep Emma would say well. Probably soft, yet passionate. Not that Emma is wondering what it would feel like to have the other woman's full, red lips on top of hers.She is merely forming a hypothesis based on the evidence before her...right?

Emma groans in frustration and slams her notebook shut. This isn't helping. If anything its causing her mind to go to places she is 90 percent sure she is not ready to explore.

Her phone vibrates and Emma smiles at the person on the other end. "Hey Kid. Whats up?"

"Hey Ma! Are you doing anything tonight?"

She pauses for a brief moment to consider her schedule and remembers that she doesn't have a life outside of saving Storybrooke from magical crimes. "Not at all kid. What do you have in mind?"

"Mom wants you to come to dinner." He blurts the words out all too quickly and it sets off her lie detector.

"Are you sure? She's been avoiding me like the plague lately."Emma intends for this to sound like a neutral statement but it comes out sounding more like a desperate whimper.

"She's making lasagna. " Henry offers in a final attempt to lure Emma over and damn it it doesn't have her in her bug in 0.5 seconds.

She doesn't even bother to change clothes, which Emma comes to regret as soon as she takes a whiff of an armpit. The odor is quite offensive and she can't go to Regina's looking and smelling like something the cat dragged in, so she runs back inside,takes a shower and changes. Unfortunately, she does not have enough time to dry the blonde mess on her head, so she rolls her windows down and hopes mother nature will do the rest.

She eventually makes it to Regina's house and her hand hovers over the doorbell as she debates the merits of ringing the damn thing vs. knocking. She settles on knocking and anxiously waits to be let in. A few long moments pass before a very surprised Regina appears. Her mouth is agape and words are not forthcoming. Between the old sweater Emma is wearing and the puddle of water she is standing in (courtesy of her dripping wet hair) she does indeed look like something the cat dragged in. Despite her current state, She manages to coerce a sheepish "hi" from her lips and Regina smiles somewhat awkwardly in response.

"What a pleasant surprise" she says politely. Its the kind of political politeness that makes Emma feel unwanted. Her shoulders sag dejectedly and she hears herself say "this was a bad idea." Before turning to walk back to the bug.

Regina reaches for Emma's arm but pulls away again before making contact. "Emma, wait." 

Emma stops in her tracks and a few moments pass before she hears the other woman utter her favorite words: "I've made lasagna."

Emma breathes a sigh of relief and wordlessly follows her into the mansion. It amazes her how, despite their growing tension, 108 Mifflin still feels like home.

The kitchen is filled with the smell of cheese and tomato sauce. Regina enjoys a large glass of wine as Henry nurses the one can of soda he is allowed per week. In between large bites of lasagna Henry catches Emma up on everything she has missed, namely nothing. Pongo still escaped everyday, Happy was anything but, and Mary Margaret taught yet another unit on birds. Emma can't help but smile at the mundane nature of it all and Regina apparently can't either, if the smirk on her face is to be believed. 

Exactly 2 pieces of lasagna and 1 bowl of ice cream later Henry excuses himself to finish up homework, which leaves Emma with nothing to do but twiddle her thumbs. Several stretches of awkward silence pass before Emma decides to pull the plug.

"I should probably go" she says abruptly.

"Wait." As always, Emma does what Regina asks. She walks to the study and Emma just sort of follows her there. She is given a glass of the best apple cider she's ever tasted and they both plop onto the couch, deflated.

"I owe you an apology" Regina states quietly. Emma's head snaps up in surprise. Regina never apologizes.

"I have been somewhat distant recently." Emma acknowledges the statement with a small nod, too afraid to ruin the moment with words. 

"I have been busy with work, but my mind has also been preoccupied with other things," she says with uncertainty. Emma takes a long sip of her cider; appreciating the warmth it provides her. "What other things?"

Regina then takes her own slow sip of cider and the silence seems to stretch into eternity. " I almost lost you," she says, her voice wavering.

Emma moves closer in an attempt to comfort the other woman. "Regina I-" Regina shakes her head. "Please, let me finish." 

"We almost lost you. I almost lost you. We spent so much time looking for a cure and kept coming up short. And then...."

"True loves kiss," Emma whispers. It comes out reverently, almost like a prayer. To Emma it is a prayer. As weird as things are (have always been) between her and Regina she doesn't mind the idea of sharing true love with the other woman; platonically speaking, of course. 

"Yes. True loves kiss," she whispers and takes another massive gulp of cider. Emma follows suit because considering the amount of elephant shit they've been through, if anyone deserves to drink, its them.

"It was a bit of a shock to me."

A laugh escapes Emma's lips. She tries to suppress it, but it only gets louder. "Im sorry," she says in between laughs. "It's just that, a bit of a shock seems like a bit of an understatement." 

Regina joins in laughter. "Yes, I suppose it is. I just...We've been through alot together, but True Loves Kiss? Seems like a stretch, don't you think?"

Emma ignores the ever increasing knots in her stomach and lets out another hearty laugh, though she's not sure exactly what is supposed to be so funny anymore. "It does seem weird. I mean you...and me...." She trails off, gesturing between them.

"Its absurd! I suppose, that I do care for you in a very platonic sense, but romantically... It doesn't seem feasible. I don't feel-"

"I'm not even into women," Emma practically yells.

Regina's face twists in confusion. "You're not?," she asks and Emma swears her voice goes up 3 octaves.

She shakes her head "you thought I was...."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that you were...are...." Regina groans in frustration and takes another swig. Emma has seen the woman fight all manner of creatures, cast countless spells, summon fireballs at will, yet she has never seen her quite this flustered before. "I’m sorry. I seem incapable of properly expressing myself tonight."

There it goes again. A third apology in one night. Regina is in rare form.

Emma shrugs her shoulders, her lips pulling into a sheepish grin. " I've actually gotten that alot before and there's nothing to apologize for. I'm not some sort of homophobe." 

Her mind briefly wanders back to the day Lily had kissed her. It was just a few quick pecks that left Emma feeling exhilarated and even though she's had many kisses since then, nothing ever quite lived up to that moment. So yeah, definitely not a homophobe, and definitely not gay, but possibly open to the right women? She sighs loudly. She is way too old to be having a crisis about her sexuality.

"Emma are you ok?" Regina asks, concern written on her beautiful, most likely soft features. The blond startles at the stray thought. The room is suddenly too small and the temperature too warm. Regina must have made this batch of cider extra strong. Why else would she be thinking about the brunette's brown eyes and full lips or the way her dress seems to fit so perfectly around her body. Yeah, must be the alcohol...

"Its getting late. I should probably go" she says standing abruptly. "I have to uhhhhhh..."  
Regina raises an inquisitive eyebrow at what sounds like the beginnings of a terrible excuse. "Patrol!" Emma manages to choke out and for reasons unknown to her she places her hands on her hips and assumes the most cop-like stance known to mankind. "I have to patrol tonight. Crime doesn't sleep."

The two part ways and Emma unsurprisingly, does not go out on patrol. She does however, spend the rest of the night twisting and turning; attempting to ignore fantasies about a certain brown-haired, pain-in-the-ass mayor.


	2. Harsh Realities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain raven haired mayor is keeping Emma awake at night, Snow knows too much, and everyone needs space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight angst. As always, please r & r

"Emma, sweetie, you look exhausted. Have you been sleeping?"

The blonde shakes her head. She hasn't been sleeping, not for any real length of time any way. The Regina fantasies have gone from 0 to 60. Sometimes she would have 2 or 3 in a night. She would wake up sweaty and wanting, searching the room for Regina, but only finding Killian. Then she would wake him up and they would fuck until one of them came...It was never Emma, but something was better than nothing. If you asked Killian he would say that their sex life was better then ever, but any improvement in that particular aspect of their relationship only happened because she was imagining herself with Regina.

"No, I haven't been sleeping." And she doesn't really need to say it because its evident in the dark circles around her eyes and the way she slouches as if its too much effort to sit up straight.

"What's going on? You've been...different lately."

Emma sighs deeply because she can't exactly tell her mother that she has been having nightly fantasies about her mom's former nemesis. However, Emma's frustration only seems to spur her on.

"You know you can tell me anything," she says and places a comforting hand atop Emma's.

"I really can't…"

"Try me. Think of me as your old roommate, Mary Margaret. What would you tell her?” Her eyes are wide and she looks oh so hopeful. Classic Snow White.

"First I would tell her not to touch me while staring deeply into my eyes because it's creepy."

Mary Margaret quickly snatches her hands away, looking only a little embarrassed. "Then I would stall a bit, like so," The blonde says while taking excruciatingly slow bites of her burger, Mary Margaret on the edge of her seat all the while.

After a few minutes she finally loses her patience. "Oh would you just spit it out!"

The blonde looks around the diner conspiratorially. She's sweating and her eyes are darting every which way. "Ok, but you have to promise not to tell a soul. Not even dad." She sticks out her pinkie and gestures for Mary Margaret to do the same. 

"I pinkie promise not to tell a soul," her mother says solemnly. Considering Snow White/Mary Margaret/ her mom's record with keeping secrets, Emma is unclear on whether or not the pinkie promise is to be trusted.

She runs a shaky hand through her hair. " Look, I um...I have been having trouble sleeping because I've been having dreams-"

"Everyone has dreams" Emma rolls her eyes at the interruption.

"Sorry."

"What I mean is that…"she trails off and takes a few massive gulps of water before adjusting her collar. "I've been having dreams about Regina."

"Soooo…" Mary Margaret interrupts her once again, not fully understanding the gravity of the situation.

Emma groans in frustration, gathers her strength, and whispers: "I have been having dreams about Regina that are….sexual in nature" 

"What? I can't hear you"

The blonde buries her face in her hands, incredulous at having to say the horrifying words a second time. "I've been having, uhhh, dreams with Regina. Me and her….well we uhhhh.. Have sex in those dreams!Dreams about sex with Regina…I have been having!" 

The brunette is silent for several long moments until it finally clicks. Her mouth forms an "oh" but no sound comes out.

"Yeah." Emma responds with a pained expression.

"I suppose that makes sense. There's always been alot of tension between you two. Here we all were thinking it was just anger, but maybe it was a searing, hot desire that's been fanning those flames all along." 

Emma suddenly feels dizzy. Anger? Yes. Frustration? Yes. Weird friendship? Yes, but a searing, hot desire? She doesn't even remember the last time she felt a searing, hot desire. She's not sure if she would even recognize it.

"Now there's no need to be ashamed" Mary Margaret says reasonably."She is a very attractive woman. In fact, I may have had a dream or two of my own."

"Ewww mom!"

"What? It was during the curse. I had no memory of our past and your dad was still asleep and there weren't many options in Storybrooke at the time!" She pauses briefly considering her next words. "Anyway, the point is that there's clearly something between you two and maybe you should explore this." 

This shocks Emma far more than she thought possible. Her mouth flops open like a fish and pretty much stays that way. Her mom, on the other hand, seems nonplussed by the whole situation. "Don't be so surprised Emma." Her eyes then get a bit watery and her voice softens. "You should've seen how hard she worked to get you back. You thought she was relentless about helping Marian? That was nothing.Day and night she was in her vault looking through books,making potions, casting spells…" A smile begins to stretch across her face and she lets out a small laugh; Some sort of realization dawning on her. "all that time and she had the cure. She was the cure"

A rock forms somewhere in the pit of Emma's stomach. Fairy tale characters have a habit of giving everything way too much importance, especially when it comes to true love, but something about her mother's words feels real. They resonate with her and burrow their way into her heart. She carries them with her. At the station. on patrol. playing with Henry. The same four words replaying over and over: she was the cure. Ironically enough, those words makes her feel sick with anxiety and she wonders how something can simultaneously feel so wrong and so right. Pretty soon she is the one avoiding Regina. She waits an hour later than usual to pick up her lunches at Grannys. She drops Henry off and always makes excuses for not going in for dinner. She turns all of her paperwork in on time to avoid any potential phone calls from the mayor. This works for a while until one Tuesday afternoon when a brown paper bag from Granny's is unceremoniously dropped onto her desk. Emma looks up to find that its delivery person is the woman she's been bending over backwards to avoid.

"You do still eat, don't you sheriff?"

Emma smiles despite herself. "Yeah, I do. Thank you."

"Mind if I join you?" Emma shakes her head

"That's not exactly enthusiastic consent but I suppose I'll take what I can get." She sits across from Emma and begins unpacking her lunch. Kale salad; an abomination if Emma has ever seen one. Her face must betray her disgust because Regina quickly comes to her salad's defense. "What? We can't all shovel unholy amounts of fast food in our mouths and still maintain a perfect figure." 

Emma nearly chokes on her grilled cheese, shocked at the prospect of Regina flirting with her, and after careful consideration decides to try her own hand at flirtation.

She hears herself say something like "trust me, you don't need the salad. You could be eating bison burgers if you wanted to…" and just like that Emma suddenly finds herself cursing bisons and her younger self for watching Napoleon Dynamite so many times. But Regina laughs in response and its this beautiful, genuine, lilting sound that Emma decides she hasn't heard enough of.

"What a compliment. Is that what you say to all of your son's mother's?"

"Only the attractive ones." 

And then there's silence and they just stare at each other like they are caught in some weird, sexually charged staring contest. Its too much and Emma is dying to look away, only she can't, and maybe she doesn't really want to. 

Regina gives in first. "So what have you been up to?" She says nonchalantly, but she is aggressively stabbing at her salad in frustration. Emma thinks the frustration is appropriate for more reasons than one.

" Regina, I-. I'm sorry. I've just been really busy.

"Kind of like how I was busy a few weeks ago?"

Emma runs a nervous hand through her hair, because of course Regina would get so close to the root of Emma’s problems without any real context. "Yeah, something like that. I've been patrolling regularly and there is just so much paperwork" she says, pointing to the stack beside her. Its actually old paperwork that she should have finished months ago, but Regina doesn't know that….yet.

"Your paperwork has been impeccable lately. It has actually had me concerned."

"You're concerned because I'm doing my job? It comes out defensive, but she doesn't apologize or take anything back. Maybe it is the lack of sleep or Emma’s uncertain feelings about the other woman, but she suddenly feels like picking a fight.

"I'm not saying that you do not care about your job, but paperwork has never been a priority for you." 

"Well, I'm making it a priority. I'm not some undisciplined oaf," Emma says angrily.

"Emma, I never said you were.Maybe in the past but certainly not now." She takes a deep breath and pinches the bridge of her nose, clearly trying her best to maintain the small bit of patience she has left. 

They fall into a tense silence as Regina stabs her salad with even more vigor and Emma shoves her entire sandwich into her mouth. It seems like an eternity passes before the other woman breaks the silence.

"Emma, talk to me, please.We were fine just a few moments ago and suddenly you lash out. What is this about?" Her voice softens and her eyes get all concerned and damn Regina for not giving into a fight like she used to. Damn her for chipping away at Emma's wall of bullshit.

" I don't know! I just..."

"You just…"

"Its just alot ok?"

"What is?

"Everything and I just…I just need some space, Regina."

The former queen's facade falls quickly. "Space?" She manages to choke out. "I don't get it. Why are you pushing me away?" She’s doing that thing she does when she is nervous. Her hand is on her stomach and her face is all puffy. 

Emma knows that she is hurting Regina. She is also hurting herself, but she supposes that it will be better for everyone in the long run. She just needs a little time to figure things out and get over this...whatever it is that she feels. With enough time things will be back to normal. She will be a good sheriff to the town, a good mom to Henry, and a great friend to Regina, because that's how they work best: as friends.

"I'm sorry." Emma continues." I'm just really confused right now about alot of things and I can't do this right now."

"Do what?" Regina asks, her voice raising indignantly."I came here to check on you and instead find myself on the receiving end of whatever's been bothering you. Again I ask you, What is this about?"

Emma doesn't respond, opting to look out the window instead. Anywhere but at the person sitting across from her. There's too much to explain and she doesn't have the words with which to explain them. Too much history. Too much frustration. Too much hurt.

In the silence Regina comes to a revelation. "This is about me waking you up, isn't it"

Emma nods her head, too tired to contradict her.

Regina uncrosses her arms and visibly relaxes; a smile gracing her features. "Emma, this is certainly not anything worth fighting about. You gave Henry True Loves Kiss and I gave Henry True Loves Kiss. This is no different. It doesn't mean anything. It doesn't change anything."

"Maybe that's the problem." The words leave Emma's mouth before she has time to take them back . 

"What does that mean?"

Emma sighs deeply. She struggles to say the words that she knows will change the delicate friendship they've managed to piece together. "It means that I need space. I care about you, Possibly too much, and I just need some time to sort things out."

Regina nods her head or maybe it just falls in surrender. Emma isn't sure. What she is sure about is that she's never seen her friend look quite so devastated before. "I understand. I will respect your wish for space.”

"Thank you."

"I'll try to wait, but I can't guarantee that I'll be there when you come back. After my mother and Robin...I just don't have the strength to wait for someone to realize I'm worth keeping around."

She gathers her things and with one last, painful look makes her way out of the station. The sound of her heels grow distant and the door slams shut behind her. Emma wonders if it is the last time they will see each other, but she knows better. They share Henry. He is the thread that has always held them together, so at the very least, they have to keep it together. For him.


	3. Birthdays, Pirates, and Completely platonic Sexual Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are great until they aren't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry these chapters are so short. It was supposed to be a one shot but then my hands slipped. As always, please r&r

Its difficult going from enemies, to co-parents, to friends, and then what? Emma doesn't know how to classify this next strange phase that is filled with silence and a longing for...she doesn't know. Just a deep longing. She misses the brunette. Misses dinners and conversations that went deep into the night, sometimes into the morning. On those occasions Regina would wake up uncharacteristically late, but no matter how late she slept in she would somehow manage to have breakfast waiting for Henry and Emma. The smell of pancakes and bacon would waft into the guest room or living room and rouse Emma from her sleep. She would then walk into the kitchen and see her son and his mother seated in front of a beautiful breakfast spread. It felt familiar. It felt like family. It felt like home. It felt wrong. She felt wrong for reaping the benefits of Regina's hard work. Felt wrong for the entire first year that she spent trying to tear this tiny unit apart. Yet she always came back, except now things are different. She can't go back and face the other woman and the myriad of feelings she seems to provoke in Emma. Magic and villains aside, Emma lives a simple life. She has a good job, an amazing son, and boyfriend she is comfortable with. Regina disrupts all that. She refuses to be placed in any of Emma's neatly curated boxes. She's strong and abrasive and stubborn and difficult. She's kind and brave and selfless and so many beautiful things. She makes Emma feel weightless...she makes Emma feel and feeling is something she cannot afford anymore. She's done it and gotten burned too many times to count. So she sucks it up. Changes her schedule. Does her best to ignore the dreams she continues to have about the other woman. Tries to move on, but it's a small town and no matter how hard they try not to, they continue to run into each other at the town's various locales. Neither of them saying anything but their eyes always meeting, searching, lingering, and wanting. 

It all comes to a head at Henry's birthday party. The two women have been doing their best to maintain some semblance of normalcy and are, to some degree,successful. Henry is having a great time and has not stopped smiling since the party began. Regina also seems to be enjoying herself. She smiles fondly at Henry and flits about the party refilling snacks and mingling with guests. She even spares a smile or two for Emma and the blonde's heart beats wildly each time so when she asks for help in the kitchen Emma happily obliges. She's not much for cooking so she gets put on chopping duty, which she does not mind. Emma appreciates the simplicity of the task as well as the opportunity to work in such close proximity to Regina. She knew she had missed the woman but being this close to her makes it painfully obvious. 

"This is nice," she says dreamily. And its way too soft and vulnerable for the occasion. However, gifts her with another smile. The third one of the day (not that Emma is counting) and she swears the room gets a bit brighter.. 

"It is. Henry has friends his own age and he's getting tall enough to give Ant a run for his money." She sighs contentedly. " I never thought we would get here."

Emma does not ask what she means, because she knows. Knows that Regina never thought she would get Henry back after he learned the truth. Knows how hard the pair have fought to forgive each other and regain what they had lost.

"Regina, everything he has, everything he is is because of you. You know that right?"

The brunette smiles shyly but shakes her head at the compliment. She never was good at receiving praise. "I was still The Evil Queen. Henry is good because that is who he is."

" I'm sorry, Your Majesty but I beg to differ. Henry is good because you taught him to be."

Regina stops her stirring in protest and faces the blonde beside her. "Ms. Swan-"

"Don't you Ms. Swan me, because I know I'm right, at least about this." She reaches over and lightly grabs hold of Regina's upper arms, and surprisingly, the other woman does not pull away. "Who soothed every tantrum, nursed every cold, etcetera, etcetera?"

"I did but I also lied to him for a really long time."

"True,but to be fair, can you imagine what would have happened if you and Henry ran around A Town Without Magic claiming you were The Evil Queen and everyone was a fairytale character? It would've gotten you both institutionalised."

A soft chuckle escapes Regina's lips and Emma tries hard not to fixate on them. "I never thought of it that way. Although that's kind of what he did, but thankfully only to a select few. Still...I can't help but wonder if I could have done things differently."

She looks up at Emma pleadingly; her eyes seeking out reassurance. Emma is of course powerless to refuse her. "You probably could have but no one is perfect. "Since making the decision to change I've seen you take on your demons everyday and win. You went to Neverland and joined a group of people you despised so that you could save Henry. You even put up with, and later befriended, his annoying birthmother, in the process. After working so hard to save him you willingly gave him up to his annoying birth mother so that you could give him his best chance. You forgave your murderous sister and you've fought in every major battle to protect this town. Maybe you made some mistakes-"

"Massive ones."

"But you're making up for them."

For once Regina does not argue with Emma's assessment of the situation. She Wordlessly closes the remaining distance between them and fixes the other woman with a gaze that regards her with a warm intensity. 

"What?" Emma's voice grows quiet, underscoring the uncertainty she is feeling. She's been on the receiving end of several police interrogations but none of them made her feel as nervous as she feels in this moment. She is certain she would give away the US nuclear launch codes if only Regina would ask.

Regina brushes a stray hair behind Emma's ear and softly cups a cheek. " Nothing" she responds, looking up at Emma through long lashes. "You're just being incredibly charming at the moment."

Just like that Emma is reduced to a blushing puddle of hormones. She knows she is five shades redder than usual because she can feel heat traveling to her cheeks, among other places. Regina steps even further into her space, her lips rising up to meet Emmas and the blonde closes her eyes in anticipation.

"Are you guys going to kiss?" A voice asks from seemingly nowhere. The two quickly disentangle themselves from their compromising position to find a very entertained Will Scarlett staring at them with an unmistakable glint in his eye.

"No!" They both yell.

"Because it looked like you were about to kiss." He continues to look at them unflinchingly and then bites into an obnoxiously crunchy potato chip, never breaking eye contact. Smug bastard.

"Emma..." Regina stammers. "Has something in her eye!" 

Seems plausible enough.

"Maybe it's an eyelash…" Emma tosses in for good measure.

"And I was just helping her get it out." She then puts on a performance that would give Meryl Streep a run for her money; pulling Emma's right eye wide open and blowing a torrent of air into it. "How does that feel?"

Emma blinks profusely and contorts her face in ridiculous ways. She thinks they both deserve Oscars for their performances. "I think you got it."

Will remains skeptical. He pulls another chip out of his bag and continues staring at the frazzled pair in front of him. 

Regina then switches tactics. "Will, since you seem to be enjoying the chips, would you mind bringing some more outside for everyone to enjoy?" Her voice takes on a flirty quality and she bats her eyelashes just so.

Will, who never takes orders from anyone without putting up a fight, is apparently also not immune to Regina's feminine wiles and he quickly gets to work on his assigned task; the kissing incident seemingly forgotten. They both let out a sigh of relief at his exit.

"I'm so glad that worked," Emma says appreciative of Regina's diversionary tactic. 

She shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly."Men are simple creatures. Give them a hint at what may happen and they forget what's actually happened."

"Speaking of what happened…" Emma knows she is about to push some boundaries but she figures now is as good a time as any to address the elephant in the room. "Were we...about to kiss?"

Regina looks up from the pot she had started stirring. Her head snapping up so quickly, Emma is surprised she doesn't break her neck. "Emma can you fill up some more water balloons?" she asks changing the topic. "There's some outside, but I think we can use more." And yes Henry is a too tall teenager that requested water balloons for his birthday, but in his defense, who doesn't love water balloons?

"Regina, I really think we should talk-"

"Emma, please." Her voice hitches and clearly she is not ready to talk about this so Emma drops it. She fills up those water balloons and even throws a few with, and at Henry, and despite the awkwardness between her and his other mother she manages to have a good time. That is of course until a certain pirate ruins it.

The night is almost at a close. The cake has been cut and most of the guests have gone home minus a few stragglers, namely the dwarves, Ruby, and Widow Lucas. The Charmings and Hook are also mulling about on the porch enjoying the remains of Henry's Avengers cake. In typical Regina fashion the cake was three tiers and completely over the top. She spared no expense when it came to their son yet somehow he managed to avoid turning into a complete brat. 

"Ay lad, did you enjoy your party?" A visibly drunk Hook asks. His words slur and his movements are slow and haphazard. The party was dry which means he went through the extra effort of bringing, hiding, and drinking his own alcohol.

Henry beams at the mention of his party and Emma's heart grows three sizes bigger. "It was great. I got some really awesome gifts and almost everyone from my grade came." 

"I'm glad you had a good time lad. Your mothers put on an impressive party." He pauses briefly and then loudly clears his throat before continuing. "Do you think you'll be staying here tonight?"

Emma and Regina exchange curious looks. Hook does not usually inquire after Henry's whereabouts. However,before Henry can answer, Hook resumes his train of thought. "I was hoping to get in a few rounds with Emma, if you know what I mean." He then gives the air a few hearty pelvic thrusts. The group gasps, but Hook does not seem to notice. "She's been ravenous lately, the minx" he says with a chuckle." And I would hate to put an end to our streak. Isn't that right, Emma?"

Emma is too shocked to say anything. Too shocked to do anything other than freeze in place, her mouth agape. Charming, on the other hand is fuming; telling Hook that he has had enough and it is time to go. Her father roughly pulls Hook off of the porch steps and drags him off of the property,the pirate screaming obscenities along the way. There is a moment of complete silence that passes over the group once the pair leave, but Emma makes the mistake of looking over at his son's other mother. If she thought her father was angry, she would have been wrong because the woman is wearing an expression that is well beyond the emotion known as anger. Her eyes scream murder and Emma has a feeling she is about to be on the other end of that bloody cry.

"Ms. Swan, a word." Her tone is controlled and clipped, but her fists are clenched and Emma might as well start writing her will now. 

The brunette stomps her way into the house and Emma takes a deep breath before putting one foot in front of the other. A chorus of "someone made the wife angry" and "looks like Emma is sleeping on the couch tonight" erupt in the background. Emma gives them the look she wishes she gave Hook and flashes them a matching pair of middle fingers that Regina was thankfully not present to see. 

She crosses the point of no return and Regina is waiting for her, arms crossed and forehead vein ready to burst. 

"Regina I'm sorry" she starts but the other woman holds up a hand to silence her. 

"Don't!"

"I'm just as shocked as you are," the blonde manages to get out before Regina starts in on her again.

"And that is the problem! The fact that you are surprised by this particular display of toxic masculinity. This is how he treats women that aren't you and you always excuse it." 

"Regina I couldn't have known he would say something like that in front of Henry or you for that matter. Hook isn't always like this..."

Something about that sentence sets Regina off. Her eyes narrow and the vein in her forehead becomes even more prominent. She charges forward backing Emma into the counter. Emma can see that she is winding up to throw one hell of a verbal punch.

"Ms. Swan you can fuck whichever bottom feeding lowlife that manages to crawl its way into your bedroom. I do not care-"

It lands. Hits at each and every one of Emma's insecurities. She feels it just as acutely as if Regina had physically punched her. Emma should know because she has been on the other side of Regina's punches. This hurts more.

"Regina, please"

"But you will not have that lowlife around my son. I will not have Henry thinking that that is an appropriate way to talk to and about women. I have spent his entire life teaching him to respect women and treat them with the dignity they are due and I will not have my hard work undone by a disgusting, vile, misogynistic, alcoholic, pathetic excuse for a pirate!"

Emma does not say anything in response.. Does not defend herself or Hook because she knows the other woman is right. The man has no business being a stepfather to her son. Emma let what was supposed to be a fling snowball into a full-blown avalanche and Henry was one of the casualties. She hangs her head low in embarrassment and Regina takes the gesture for what it is, a sign of surrender and an admittance of guilt.

"You will talk to Henry...no you will apologize to Henry and tomorrow we will talk to him together because apparently I can't trust your judgement anymore. We will talk to him and explain the problems with Hook's manner of being, though I raised him well enough for him to already know. Are we clear?"

Emma nods her head. "Yes. I'll say goodnight to Henry and head home." She knew Regina wanted her gone and saw no point in delaying the inevitable.

"Good."

She slowly walks towards the door hoping Regina might change her mind or make a final attempt at patching things up. She doesn't. Instead she busies herself with post party clean up. 

Emma makes it to the door before making a final appeal for forgiveness. "For the record, I am sorry Henry heard all that. He deserves to have good role models in his life and I...I don't know that Hook is one anymore. I'm also sorry that you heard that. It really felt like we were headed towards something today, you and I, and then that happened and I am"

Regina rounds on her. "Just like your mother! Never stopping to think of how your actions affect the people around you. I do not know where you think we were headed, Ms. Swan, But let me clarify the situation for you: There is nothing between us except for Henry." She pauses a beat and her voice softens, pain written across her face. "Just Henry."

"Got it. Goodbye Regina."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :)


	4. Self-Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma learns the meaning of self-care. Regina makes some moves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up buttercups. There's a whole lot of angst ahead.

Emma cries. Alot. She hasn't stopped crying since her argument with Regina 3 hours earlier. Prior to this crying fit she did not know she was capable of producing tears, much less the waterfall that is cascading down her cheeks. 

She takes another huge gulp from her bottle of red wine and splashes a bit in the tub. The bubbly water goes everywhere and she couldn't care less. Snow White might care, it is her bathroom of course, but Emma definitely does not. In fact, a part of her revels in the small act of rebellion. This is also causes Emma frustration. She used to be a badass. She used to kick ass and take names regardless of whether or not she had to break some rules in the process. Now Splashing water on her parents' bathroom floor is an act of rebellion. it seems like all she does is follow the weird, ass backwards rules of the Enchanted Forest. She actually misses living in Storybrooke under the supposed "Dark Curse." Misses the simplicity of the time. Misses who she used to be.

"Pfft, dark curse," she mumbles to herself as she punches her bathwater."Some dark curse. If Regina wanted to curse everyone she should have sent them to A Land Where The Only Music Is Nickelback." Because who curses their enemies to picturesque Maine where they can enjoy the salty air and fresh lobster along with indoor plumbing. "Regina is a softy!" Emma yells to no one. The sound bounces off of the tiles and causes a nice echo. "Echoooooo, echoooooo" she exclaims, putting the room's acoustics to the test. 

"Emma, sweetie, are you ok?" Her mom friend is concerned and Emma hates to worry her. She tries her best not to sound like she's been crying.

"I'm fine. Just...relaxing. Doing a little self-care." 

"In my bathroom?" She asks cautiously.

"Yeah this is as good a place as any." 

Her mom goes silent and Emma is thankful for her departure. Thats is of course, until she starts speaking again.

"Honey?," she pipes up. Her voice is up 3 octaves higher than usual and Emma is ready to claw her own eyes out. 

"I know that things are a little rough right now. What with Hook and Regina…." Her mother sighs deeply and the blonde wonders what could possibly have her this worked up. "But I would really appreciate it if you did that in your own house."

Emma stops her splashing. "Do you not want me here?" She asks, feeling the familiar sting of betrayal and abandonment.

"Noooooo. Of course I want you here!" Her mother asserts firmly. "I just don't want you doing THAT where your father and I bathe. It is not sanitary. Even if you moved it upstairs to your Old room...that would be ok...a compromise, of sorts."

"How would I do this in my room? I need a bathtub to take a bath."

"You-you're taking a bath?" Her mom stutters out.

"What else would I be doing?"

"Self...care ?" 

"Self care?" Emma asks with confusion.   
A lightbulb goes off in her head. "Wait.. You thought I was…"

"Pleasuring yourself!" 

"Ewwww, God Mom!Couldn't you have said masturbating? And can I please have some privacy? Gosh!" Emma shouts, feeling like the regressed teenage version of herself she never got to be. Her mother apologizes and promises to leave her alone but not before reminding her to be careful about her water usage. Last month's bill was atrocious.

Emma takes another swig and tries to figure out where everything went wrong. She supposes it was probably when she broke the curse. Things were really not that bad back then. She had a cool roommate and a stable job. She spent all of her time hanging out with Henry and fighting with Regina, and oh how she loved fighting with Regina back then.The brunette ignited a fire in her she didn't know she had. She loved pissing the other woman off and watching her get all snarly and bossy. Emma appreciated the power that came along with being the only person in town who could shake the normally unflappable woman. Looking back, and she would never admit this outloud (to anyone!), she may have been a bit turned on during these interactions. Ok, alot turned on. 

She rests Her head on her knees, deep in thought. Maybe Snow was right after all, maybe an undercurrent of lust is what fueled those fights. Is that so bad? Emma supposes its not, but she does wonder how she could have missed her attraction to women for so long. She also supposes it doesn't matter. It's the 21st century and love is love, right? But Does she love Regina? 

She flashes back to the townline and "happy endings aren't always what you think they're going to be." Remembers the feeling of her hand in Regina's, of tearful brown eyes boring into hers and the overwhelming desire to hold the other woman as the world went to shit around them. 

She thinks of a foreboding fall night and her recklessly jabbing the Dark One dagger into the air, daring the darkness to take her instead of Regina.

Yeah, looking back on it, Emma was a goner a long time ago, she just missed all the signs. She wonders how she could be so oblivious. How she could waste so much time with Hook solely because he was comfortable. Maybe she doesn't deserve Regina but she at least deserves better than him. She’s sure of it. 

The blonde looks at her fingers. They have gotten all pruny, proof positive that it is time to leave the tub. She rinses off quickly, wraps a towel around her body, and heads upstairs; plopping face down onto her bed, towel and all. Her phone rings shortly after and she is fully prepared to ignore it until she sees Regina’s picture pop on the screen. She quickly reaches over to grab the phone from the dresser, almost falling off the bed in the process.

“Hello?” she tries cautiously.

“Ms. Swan…” The demotion to Ms.Swan lets Emma know that the other woman is still angry. 

“As we discussed we need to speak to Henry tomorrow. Dinner will be at 6:00. Please be on time.”

Emma agrees and briefly mentions that Regina could have just sent her a text. Somehow things escalate from there, and before Emma knows what hit her, they are involved in a very heated argument. Regina’s voice goes very Evil Queen and Emma is left feeling frustrated in more ways than one. So when she finally does hang up, Emma’s right hand wanders lower and lower until she finds herself participating in an entirely different form of self-care.

She wakes up the next day with an added spring in her step, 100% confident in her ability to slay everything in her path. She is not even the least bit nervous about her talk with Henry and Regina in the evening. After last night's bit of self-care, She is ready for a fight with the brunette, even aches for it. 

Emma gets lucky and they have a brief showdown during the city council meeting when Regina goes on the attack and accuses the Sheriff’s department of ineptitude, however Emma is prepared with facts and figures detailing local incidents along with the department’s swift response to said incidents. Regina’s cheeks flush at the explanation and she crosses her legs demurely before complaining about the heat in the room. 

Next on her to-do list is breaking up with Hook. She walks over to his ship during her lunch break and offers him a bottle of Rum which he happily accepts. After a few minutes of uncomfortable small talk She tries letting him down gently, but he is inconsolable. He cries profusely, and maintains that he can change, even goes as far as suggesting an open relationship. 

"I've noticed a certain chemistry between you and Regina" he says in between sobs. "I would be open to you exploring that...whatever you need for you to feel happy in this relationship. You can be with us both."  
Except Emma does not want to be with them both. She just wants to be with Regina, though she doesn't tell him that. 

At the core of things Hook will always be a pirate and maybe there is someone out there that will love him for it, however Emma is not that person. After years of dating bad boys with five o'clock shadows and chips on their shoulders, Emma can finally say that she is over it. Over trying to fix them as a distraction from fixing herself. Self-care, in all its forms, is paramount.

5:50 has Emma confidently standing at the mansion on Mifflin. She left work a bit early to allow herself time to prepare for the night's dinner. Her hair is pulled back into a high ponytail and she is wearing black boots and her signature red jacket. For the first time in a long time she feels like herself.

The look has its desired effect on Regina, who upon opening the door appears ready for a fight, but softens at the sight of Emma's attire. Her eyes take the blonde in fondly. "You changed," she observes breathlessly and it sounds alot like "you're Henry's birthmother?" 

"Hi," Emma's lips turn upwards in a grin at the familiarity of it all. Showing up in front of this house, wearing this jacket, and marvelling at the beauty of the woman in front of her.

"You're early too!" She says, unable to mask her surprise. 

"I thought you might want to go over a game plan for talking to Henry." Regina's eyes go wide. She is completely unprepared for Emma's preparedness.

"Oh...oh of course. That's very thoughtful of you please come in." She says, ushering her through the door, a bewildered expression on her face. Emma follows her into the kitchen. Tonight's special is chicken cordon bleu and it smells divine.

"So what did you have in mind?" Regina aks, and it sounds like a test.

"Well I'm going to start off with an apology. A huge one. Then I'm going to explain why Hook's behavior last night was unacceptable and then I'm going to open the floor for any thoughts or questions he might have. I'm sure Henry has plenty of thoughts about what happened last night and I want to make sure he feels comfortable sharing them with us. What do you think?"

Regina seems pleased, nodding her head in approval. "I think thats a great idea. I can tell you gave this some thought."

"I did." Emma smiles at the other woman, appreciating how off-kilter she seems to be. With folded arms and head cocked to the side, her eyes search Emma's for an explanation for the blonde's change in behavior. "You seem different," she remarks and its more a question than an observation. Emma shrugs her shoulders in response. She doesn't want to tell Regina that she is trying to change. Trying does not mean anything to someone with a lifetime of broken promises. She wants to show her that she's changed by making the right decisions for Henry everyday. 

Regina calls Henry for dinner and it takes two more yells and an in-person visit for him to stampede his way down the stairs. His feet are boats, his arms are gangly, and he hasn't quite figured out how to control his limbs yet, so they swing wildly as he walks. Emma can't imagine loving anyone more and is filled with pride when he voluntarily sets the table and knows exactly where to put each glass and utensil. In the argument of nature vs. nurture, he is very much a product of Regina's School of Well-behaved Children. 

The meal is delicious as always and whatever manners were imparted to Henry are swiftly forgotten when he tears into the chicken and shovels mountains of the poultry and mashed potatoes into his mouth. Emma isn't much better, preemptively yanking two pieces of chicken onto her plate "just in case." Unsurprisingly, Regina is the only one among them with any sense of decorum, cutting her chicken into tiny pieces and chewing them daintily, all the while trying not to smile at the two hooligans in front of her. She is unsuccessful, of course, and her eyes always manage to find Emma's, shining brightly and lingering far too long. Their hands brush in between wine refills and the other woman's skin is soft and inviting. Emma tries and fails to fight off the growing blush that makes its way up her cheeks. 

In between all the heady looks, the brunette gives Emma a small,almost imperceptible nod which lets her know that it is time for The Talk. Emma skillfully steers the conversation towards the previous night's party and listens to Henry geek out over his presents. 

"And I promise I'll only use the sword when I'm training with gramps."

The two mothers exchange worried glances. They had spoken with David about the potentially dangerous gift beforehand and after several hours of negotiations, came to a compromise. 

"Not quite," Regina corrects, her face scrunching up like it does when she's about to kick into a lecture." Sword usage will be restricted to classes with David and the sword will be kept at your grandparents' house until you are 18." Henry is old enough to learn how to use a sword, but that doesn't mean that either of them has to like it, and it certainly does not mean that he should have unfettered access to it.

"Focus on getting your permit first. I guarantee you will find driving more useful than swinging a sword around," Emma adds practically.

"Yeah, I guess," he says lowering his head, parade thoroughly rained on.

"So kid, speaking of last night, I'm sorry about Hook. He kind of ruined the party didn't he?" 

Henry looks up from his plate. His expression is pensive, 100% his other mother. "I don't think he ruined it. It was such a fun night, nothing could have ruined it for me, but he definitely made things awkward, and…" He hesitates, unsure of how much he is allowed to say. Emma can tell that he is carefully choosing his words. "Go on, kid. You can tell me and your mom anything. Your input is really important in this family." 

"Well.." He starts. " I just don't understand him. I don't understand why he would be drunk at a teenager's party and I don't understand why he said the things he said and I don't understand why you're with him." Its as if a dam had been opened and the words came rushing out of him. He quiets briefly, alarmed by the flood of emotions and Regina gestures for him to continue. "And- and...I don't like how he talks to you," he adds, his voice small, looking for all the world like the 10 year old that brought her to Storybrooke. 

"Thanks for being honest, kid. He was way out of line and completely disrespectful of you. I want you to have good role models and last night Hook wasn't it. You're not of drinking age yet, but I want you to understand the concept of drinking responsibly. Your drinking should not negatively impact the people around you. That's a part of knowing your limits and clearly he does not know his." Henry nods his head attentively and Regina gives her an approving nod of her own. Emma, spurned on by the brunette's reassurance, launches into the second half of her speech. "Secondly, the way he was speaking about me in mixed company was unacceptable. You're still young, but in the future, anything that takes place between you and a girl should stay between the two of you. Sex can be a beautiful thing between consenting parties-" Both mothers wince at the suggestion of Henry being sexually active. Regina is especially uncomfortable and busies her hands by cutting her dessert into miniscule pieces.

"But," Emma continues. "Sex should never be used to brag about your prowess or bolster your image. Women are not objects or trophies to be flaunted as a sign of your success. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I get it. That's really what made me mad yesterday, not that he almost ruined my party. He shouldn't talk about you that way. You deserve to be treated better." Henry's hands ball into fists and Emma can't help but smile at his protective nature. The Kid has, against all odds, turned into a stellar human being. He is everything Emma hoped he would be and more than what she deserves.

"Thanks, Henry." The blonde clears her throat and takes a few sips of wine before delivering her next piece of news. "After last night's events, I ended things with Hook." 

Regina's fork falls onto the ground, clanging loudly. Her eyes have grown wide and her mouth hangs open. "You did?" She asks quietly, her voice laced witsurprise and hope.

Emma nods her head in confirmation. "I did. Anyone that's in my life needs to be respectful of you," she says fixing her eyes on Henry. "and your mother. You are and will always be the most important person in my life. Anyone I date needs to understand that and I'm so sorry I kept Hook around for as long as I did."

Henry lights up, practically jumping out of his seat in excitement. "I thought I loved the sword, but you breaking up with Hook is easily my favorite birthday present!" Emma is completely taken aback and wine shoots out of her mouth like a fountain, while Regina half-heartedly scolds Henry about taking pleasure in someone else's pain. It rings hollow to everyone's ears and Henry guffaws at his brunette mother’s attempt at neutrality. 

“Oh, come on mom! You hate Hook. You complain about him all the time!” He pretends to hold a glass of wine and arches an eyebrow in a frighteningly accurate imitation of Regina. “That man is a vile, disgusting, idiotic, miscreant. A leather clad, piece of rotten driftwood and I will destroy his happiness if its the last thing I do.” Emma howls at the impression and Regina is not so subtlety trying to hide her laughter behind her wine glass. 

“That year with Emma has made you so irreverent,” she says between laughs. Her eyes water at the corners and she tosses her head back, dropping all pretense. Regina is free in a way Emma has never seen before and she can’t help but to be pulled in by the other woman. Now that Emma is looking, really looking, she wonders how she could have ever wanted anyone else. 

“All the time?” Emma asks, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. Regina flushes at the attention, and Emma doesn't know what she's doing but she can't find the wherewithal to care, because she is two drinks in and Regina looks breathtaking tonight.

"Well, not all the time." She playfully nudges Emma with her shoulder and Henry, sensing a change in the atmosphere, excuses himself from dinner to "finish up homework." Before leaving he mouths the words "all the time" to his blonde mother and tosses her a wink over his shoulder. 

"Our son," Emma says good naturedly. She turns her head to face Regina, but the brunette has inched over ever so closely, too closely, and they almost butt heads. One of them bobbed and one of them weaved. Both of them wear matching grins.

“You did well with him tonight,” she says, gazing at Emma with adoration and the undercurrent of a slight buzz. Emma isn't used to this; being on the receiving end of a smile that is usually only reserved for Henry, but she cherishes it all the same, finds herself wishing she could stay beneath its warm glow.

"It was nothing, really. The Kid is already a gentleman and he knows that he'll get his ass kicked by all the women in his life if he stops being one."

"He certainly will." She notices that Emma's glass is empty and reaches across her for the decanter. Emma gets a peek of smooth olive skin, stretched across ample bosoms and she tries her damndest not to look. However, she has eyes and a racing pulse and she gets lost following the bead of sweat that has begun to make its way further down the brunette's breasts. Regina catches Emma staring and raises an eyebrow knowingly. She's been caught in the act and has no way to recover. And this is them, being friends and co-moms, completely uninterested in anything sexual or romantic, just going about their daily lives. Only Emma is aware now, aware of how her heart beats violently at the mere mention of the other woman’s name. Of how their bodies seem to gravitate towards one another so effortlessly. Of all the little things, like how Regina likes her coffee with far too much sugar, listens almost exclusively to Fleetwood Mac, and loves like a wildfire ready to consume everything in its path. And Emma is ready to be consumed by her fire and would happily dance in its flames. 

“It’s impolite to stare, Ms.Swan.” Her voice is low and husky and Emma doesn’t mind being called Ms. Swan when it sounds like this; full of wanton desire that is crackling towards the surface after far too many years of restraint. Emma draws closer to the other woman and their breaths intermingle, their faces mere inches apart. 

“Regina, I-”

Regina surges forward and captures Emma’s lips in a passionate kiss that has them both reeling. Soon they are an endless tangle of tongues that slip and teeth that nip in a kiss that is equal parts anger, jealousy, vengeance, and love. It is tender and caring yet ferocious and freeing. It is everything, until it is nothing.

“Wait.” Regina says, breaking away. “I can’t do this.”

Emma is stunned. “Can’t do what?” she says, her voice shaking despite herself. She knows what's coming next, has lived it over and over with past lovers and foster families that didn’t want her anymore. This is the moment when they change their minds.

Regina shakes her head vigorously. She pulls her chair out and backs away from the table. “This. I can’t do this. It was a mistake.”

This is the moment when Emma’s heart breaks. She feels the rejection so acutely she almost hears it shatter. “Mistake?” she chokes out. “Regina, you kissed me and don’t say it was platonic”

“I know and I shouldn’t have. There’s too much between us, Emma. We’ve hurt each other so many times and I can’t put Henry through that again.”

Emma stands up quickly, the chair loudly scraping the hardwood floor beneath it. She jabs an angry finger at Regina's chest.“Don’t you do that! Don’t you dare use Henry as an excuse to run away.”

“I’m not running away!" She yells back tearfully. "I’m not good for you, Emma, and I think you know that. I’m the reason you grew up without parents. I’m the reason you lost Graham... You may think you want to be with me but you are mistaken.”

Emma softens at the admission. She reaches over and lifts Regina’s chin, holding her gaze. “And I forgave you for all of that. To me you’re not the Evil Queen, or Madame Mayor. You’re just Regina.”

Regina reaches up to cup a cheek and Emma finds herself leaning into the touch. “My sweet, noble Emma. You make it so difficult to do the right thing. You're too good to me and you are too good for me.” she says wistfully and there is enough longing in her voice for the both of them. 

“Can’t we just start over again?”

“I’m afraid not,” Regina says with finality.

Emma hangs her head in defeat and wipes her tears with a sleeve. She pushes past Regina and begins the long walk to the front door before stopping abruptly in the living room. “But we have true love… can't that be enough?” 

Regina shakes her head slowly as if her body aches with the movement. “I wish it were.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it. R/R


	5. Maybe I Should Build Her A Cake Or Something

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn about the events surrounding True Love's Platonic kiss, Henry continues to be a smug little shit, Regina might build her a cake or something....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignore any spelling errors,just cause...

Regina watches the door slam shut and it feels eerily familiar, like running away from a dimly lit tavern.

Soulmates and true love. Fate. Destiny. She wonders where they end and she begins. Wonders if more choices are being taken away from her. Did Daniel have to die? Was she destined to cast the curse? Was she always set up to be Emma's foil? Was she meant to fall for The Savior or is that the result of Regina's constant desire for things she does not deserve? 

She thinks of how she woke Emma from her sleep. It had been weeks of not sleeping and countless hours in the vault searching for a cure. She had gone to The Charming’s apartment for another family dinner/brainstorming session and everyone was fresh out of ideas. Regina had been going through her mental catalogue of magic while silently brooding when Snow first suggested it.

“Regina, you should try it.” Snow whispered from behind her.

“Try what? I’ve tried everything.” It rose out of her bitterly. She had exhausted every resource, including herself, and was hanging on by an increasingly thin thread. Sure, she had wanted this when the infuriating blonde first arrived in Storybrooke. They had been enemies then; finding ways to outsmart and undermine one another. Then Emma had to go and get pushed into a portal for her, and then Regina had to go and take on a death curse in return, setting a pattern wherein the two were constantly saving the other from impending doom. It was a dance of sorts and Regina was having difficulty accepting its end.

“Not everything. Not True Love’s Kiss,” Snow suggested hesitantly.

Regina spun on her heel incredulous at the suggestion. “What?!” 

Snow lifted her chin defiantly, reminding Regina of the woman she had spent years chasing and fighting. “You heard me.”

Regina threw her hands up in frustration. She usually did a good job of forgetting where Emma’s annoying persistence came from, but instances like this made it abundantly clear. “What do you think will happen Snow? Charming tried, Hook tried, you tried. Even Henry tried and nothing worked. You think I can just bring her back?”

“Yes,” she answered confidently. 

Regina never wanted to slap her more, wipe the smugness off of her face. She strode toward the other woman, hoping to intimidate her into backing down. “Snow, I know that hope is your thing but-”

“I’ve seen the way you look at her,” Snow said suddenly. It was soft and understanding but powerful enough to end Regina’s tirade. “Almost like how you looked at Daniel.”

“Snow-” She warned, but her former step daughter was never good at following instructions.

“It scares you doesn’t it? That you can care for someone...maybe even love them this much.” She stepped forward and placed Regina’s hands in hers. Even though Regina felt raw and exposed, she allowed the display of affection and marvelled at how far they had come.“But after everything that’s happened, you deserve something good and so does she.”

Regina shook her head vehemently. After all the hurt and devastation she caused others, the only thing she deserved was misery. “Snow, I killed your dad and I cursed you and I had a hand in separating your family and-”

“You are a part of my family," Snow stated plainly, and the smile she wore, just like the assertion, was bittersweet. "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not. I see you, Regina. Maybe your heart used to be black, but I don't even have to look at it now to know that that isn't the case anymore."

"Snow, Im sorry."

Snow shook her head in response."There's no need to apologize. We are several curses past that." She dropped Regina's hands as tears made their way down her rosy cheeks, but she made no effort to dry them. "You're right. Nothing has worked so far. I wasn't able to wake my own daughter with true love and I can't even begin to think of what that means for me and her, but... maybe you can". 

Regina opened her mouth to argue, but Snow held up her hand to stop her.

"If not for me, or Emma, then do it for Henry. He needs both of his mothers."

The Henry card. She pulled the Henry card and Regina couldn't help but to begrudgingly respect the other woman."Snow White, when did you become so skilled at manipulation?"

Snow white let out a soft chuckle. "The day you walked into my castle."

"Maybe I taught you something after all." To her own surprise, she pulled the other woman into an embrace, and Snow let out a surprised yet very pleased squeal before playfully pushing her away. Her lips quirked into a mischievous grin."Now get up there and kiss my daughter!

Regina took the steps to Emma's room two at a time, the Charming clan following closely behind her. She reached Emma's room and stopped abruptly at the foot of the bed, fear and insecurity nipping at her heels. Snow, as attuned to Regina's feelings as ever, came alongside her and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Go on." She said nodding towards Emma's sleeping form. 

Regina walked around the bed and lowered her head towards Emma's, planting a feathery light kiss on her forehead. 

Nothing happened.

"Try again," Henry pleaded,his face stained with tears. Despite her own disappointment she knew she had to try again, for him.

She planted another kiss on the blonde's forehead, this time more firmly. They all held their breaths in anticipation.

Nothing happened.

Tears cascaded from Regina's eyes and onto her cheeks like waterfalls. Her body shook from the unfairness of it all. The Savior of Storybrooke, who always put others before herself, had no one to save her. Emma, her Emma, was lost to a world of never ending nightmares from which she would never wake.

Charming cleared his throat suddenly. The sound cut through Regina's sobs. "I don't mean to make things awkward," he said, his eyes darting every which way. "But maybe try kissing her lips? It's how I did it with Snow."

"Have you lost your ever loving mind, shepard?" She snapped loudly.

"Mom!" Henry cut in. His cheeks were puffy and covered in tears. Suddenly he looked ten again; his shirt sleeves too long and his shoes too big. She pulled him tightly to her and even though he was taller then her, he rested his head on her shoulder. Regina's jacket was moist from his tears. "Please…" he begged so quietly that she almost didn't hear him. "We need her."

The brunette broke away from the embrace with a newfound determination coursing through her body. She walked over to the other woman and leaned in; her lips hovered over Emma's until she felt brave enough to close the distance between them. She held the kiss, even counting three Mississippi's in order to give the curse enough time to break.

Suddenly she was engulfed in rainbows (how Ironic) and Emma was looking at her like she was everything.

But was it real? Were Emma's feelings genuine or were they a product of the strange circumstance the women found themselves in? She knew the dangers of jumping into relationships because fate demanded it. She learned that the hard way from being with Robin. He was kind and caring. He loved her, but never in a way that seemed real. It was almost as if they were operating on different frequencies, in range but never tuned to the correct station. Regina ignored the differences at first, but they eventually became so glaring that they could barely function as a cohesive unit. Even Roland began picking up on the tension that lay beneath the surface of every conversation. Despite all evidence to the contrary, they kept trying to convince themselves and each other, that they were still in love. Robin's final display of love being an ill-advised trip to the underworld to save the boyfriend of the woman his girlfriend was in love with. 

Regina laughs bitterly at the memory. She really does destroy everyone she Loves.

“Mom, Emma’s gone and I can hear you brooding from upstairs. What happened?” Henry yells from his position at the top of the stairs, breaking her reverie.   
“Henry, don’t yell across the house.”

“Mom, don’t deflect. What happened? I set you guys up perfectly.”

“I will not answer any questions so long as you continue to yell from the top of the stairs.” 

Henry sighs in annoyance and quickly bounds his way to the first floor, his feet making a loud thump on the last step. 

“Wait, did you say you set us up?” 

Her son has enough sense to look somewhat ashamed. He lowers his head a bit and looks up at her with large eyes that seek forgiveness. 

“Kind of?”

She raises a skeptical eyebrow.

“Ok, definitely, but only because it looked like you guys needed it!” He says defensively.

She now has two skeptically raised eyebrows. “What do you mean we needed it?”

“Ugh!” He exclaims loudly, his arms shooting towards the heavens, as if to ask what he has done to deserve two oblivious and obtuse mothers. “You guys were being all flirty again.”

“We were not!” She shakes her head at the accusation before trying for a different tactic altogether: plausible deniability. “Maybe your mother was…” she allows. “But I certainly was not. I was merely engaging her in polite conversation.”

Henry’s eyes roll so far back into his head, that for a few seconds she wonders if they will get stuck there. “Thats bull!” He points an accusing finger at her. “You were giving her eyes all night and brushing up against her and stuff.” He turns his nose up, disgusted by the memory. “And she was all into it. It was gross! But you guys looked like you needed some privacy and I am an excellent wingman, so I pretended I had a project to work on.” He shrugs his shoulders like its no big deal, like he is just a civil servant performing a service for the community. Maybe there was something to Emma’s constant assertion that their son was “A Smug Little Shit.”

She sighs deeply, wondering (not for the first time) when the lines between mother and friend had become so blurry. She supposes it developed after Henry had chosen to forgive her for her past transgressions. Regina was so eager to show Henry she had changed that she inadvertently gave into many of his whims. This included buying him an alarming number of comic books and allowing him to indulge in his hobby of creating operations. He insisted it was important work, but Regina saw it as just another excuse for him to snoop, which was clearly backfiring on her at the moment. “Henry, you can't just insert yourself into these adult matters. What happens between me and your mom, is between me and your mom.”

Henry holds up a finger in protest. “Firstly, I would like to remind you that, according to the law, I am almost an adult.” Regina did not want to think about that.

“Secondly,” he says raising another finger. “I did not insert myself into the situation. I removed myself. Thirdly, you like like her right?” He asks, his eyes growing hopeful in a perfect imitation of Snow White. Damn those Charming genes…

Regina sighs deeply again. Its all she seems to do anymore when it comes to Emma Swan. The woman is a constant source of stress in her life. She is also a contributor to her overall happiness. “I suppose….” she starts but Henry gives her a skeptical eyebrow raise that is strong enough to rival her own and she decides to tell the truth. “Yes, I Iike like her.” Her fingers form air quotes around “like like” because she finds the juvenile term to be incredibly redundant. 

“And she likes you!” 

“Really?” Her voice comes out small but yearning. Regina, hates it for giving her away.

Henry nods his head enthusiastically. “Since like forever. She’s done all that stuff for you like saving you from the mob, and jumping into the portal, and becoming the literal personification of darkness.”

Regina shakes her head in disagreement. “She would have done that for anyone.”

“You really think she would do that for anyone? What has she done for Hook?” He asks, his voice laced with indignance. “Any grand, life saving gestures? When was the last time she even got him coffee?”

Regina’s mind goes blank. She tries, really tries, to come up with examples of any heroic or romantic acts Emma has done for Hook, but the list is frighteningly short. In fact, it is non existent.

“Exactly! Whatever is holding you back from being with Emma, please figure it out, because there is just too much tension. Its uncomfortable for me to be around.”

“You’re ok with us being together?”

“Of course. I love you both but your selection in men is questionable. Maybe you’ll have better luck with each other. I mean, Marriage equality passed a while back and you have the chance to be as happy as Ellen and Portia, so you should take it.”

“I’ll think about it.” She is cautious in her response, careful not to fill him with false hope."But try to manage your expectations. Despite what everyone in Storybrooke believes, relationships are not all about Happy endings. They take work and your mother and I have quite a history to work through. In fact, after my behavior tonight I'm not sure she would still have me."

Henry taps his chin in thought. "Maybe do something romantic. I don't think Emma has had alot of romance in her life. Girls like flowers right? Get her some flowers or something.I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” He gives her a quick peck on the cheek and despite Regina’s insistence not to, goes running up the stairs and sliding into his room. In the past he would have gotten a stern talking to, but after multiple kidnappings and near death experiences, she allows for more moments of levity.

Left to her own devices, she considers Henry’s suggestion:romance. Regina has not experienced much of it herself. Wonders what Emma would find romantic. Does she even like flowers? The gesture seems a bit cliche for Emma’s tastes. She is more rough and tumble; enjoying the grittier things in life. For a brief moment she considers purchasing the blonde another leather jacket, but it seems like more of a utilitarian gift than a romantic one. Swirling her drink around she wonders what kind of gift says "I have been in love with you for far too long but the timing never seems right for me to make a move and I am fairly certain you deserve better than me but I think we should try anyway" as well as " I am an asshole, please forgive me?" Could she fit all that on a cake?

"Ugh, romance is entirely too difficult.," she complains to the empty room. Her limbs feel light and the room is just a little too bright signalling her transition from tipsy to slightly inebriated. Waving her arms she poofs herself into her room, however after more drinks than she can count her concentration levels are subpar and she crashes onto the ground instead of the bed. She rubs her aching head and knows she'll be feeling it in the morning, in fact she is feeling it now. However, she never makes it to her bed. Her eyes droop shut and she falls asleep right where she landed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it. As always pleeeeeeeaaaaase r/r


	6. Big Romantic Gesture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina makes a plan, Gold answers questions, and someone makes a Big Romantic Gesture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe we are finally here...THE FINAL CHAPTER! I know I am biased but I REALLY loooooovee this chapter. Gold answers some really important questions about how the curse worked and this might be some of my best writing, but like I said, I am biased. Thank you again for all of your support. I really hope you like it.
> 
> Also, I edit this on my own, so sorry for any mistakes.
> 
> Also... there is a Skyrim refrence. See if you can catch it.

The next day Regina wakes up with a pounding headache and a newfound resolve to set things right with Emma. She has a plan, albeit a very loose one, and she is going to see it through. Nerves be damned. However, she has a stop to make along the route to wooing Emma; one she is not looking forward to. One that involves an irksome imp with a penchant for making her life miserable.

She drives to the shop; arguing with herself along the way and parking terribly once she gets there. Two of her car's four wheels are sitting on top of the sidewalk but she doesn't care. She picks up her phone and after 10 minutes of procrastination via Candy Crush finally musters up enough courage to leave the comforts of her car and enter Gold's pawn shop. 

Regina strides in with her shoulders squared and her chin held high;ready for battle. The bell above the door signals her arrival and Gold has the nerve to smirk as if he knew she was coming. He giggles his trademark Rumpelstiltskin Enchanted Forest giggle and after all these years its still the most grating sound she has ever heard.

"Regina, how lovely to see you. I've been expecting you." He looks at his watch and taps it dramatically as if its broken. "Though it took you significantly longer than anticipated."

She laughs sardonically. "So you know why I am here." Its a statement rather than a question and he responds with taunting laughter. 

"Oh, everyone knows why you are here, dearie. The town is all...a twitter with the gossip." He holds up his phone and shows her an actual Twitter thread that Grumpy has started about her and Emma's kiss. Apparently, the dwarf's gossip has gone digital and its been re-tweeted over 2,000 times. "The Evil Queen shares true love with her arch nemesis, Snow White's daughter. Truly, it is a timeless tale of true love worthy of being memorialized in the pages of Henry's storybook."

Her teeth grind in frustration and it takes all of her willpower not to send him hurtling through the nearest wall. "Cut the crap Gold. Just tell me what I need to know and I'll be on my way."

"I don't give away information for free anymore, especially not to a Charming."

"I'm not a Charming," Regina spits out through gritted teeth. She can feel her muscles tensing with each second this conversation drags on. "Now what do you want?"

"Not a Charming? Well,you could have fooled me. Though I suppose you might be a Swan unless she decides to take your name, in which case she'd be Emma Mills…"

"Get to the point, Imp!"

"As far as what I want? It seems that I did not receive an invitation to Henry's party. Perhaps it got lost in the mail…" He shrugs nonchalantly, but the mere fact that he brought it up proves that the slight is of greater consequence than he is letting on. " I would like to spend more time with Henry. He is all I have left of Baelfire and I would like to do right by his legacy."

"That's it?" Regina asks disbelieving.

"That's it."

She takes a moment to consider the request. Though it is not an unreasonable one, she does have reservations. "Considering our past, you can see why I am hesitant to grant this request. However, Henry is your grandson, whether I like it or not, and for reasons beyond my comprehension, he seems to enjoy spending time with you. That being said, keep him away from your schemes. If I catch a whiff of wrongdoing the deal is off."

He bows his head in gratitude, His demeanor changing completely."Thank you, Regina. How can I be of service?"

She wrings her hands together nervously. Until this point she has done her best to forget that the kiss had ever happened and outside of Emma, she has avoided discussing the topic completely. Gold is obviously not high on her list of confidants but he is the only person that can provide her with answers. "Yes, well I was wondering something...actually I have a few questions. Why couldn't Henry break the spell?"

Gold smiles at her knowingly, but its not without affection. "What else do you want to know? The answer to your questions may be linked."

Unaccustomed to being vulnerable with Gold (it always backfires) she waits a few moments before speaking. It takes time for the heavily guarded question to make its way up her throat and past her lips. "Am I...am I Emma's true love? Is she mine?"

Gold turns on his heel and pulls an old book from his book shelf. He then sets the book on the counter and carefully thumbs through the dusty pages, stopping at one particularly weathered page. “Our favorite pirate intended to use this sleeping curse,” he says pointing to the top of the page. It seems like the average, run of the mill sleeping curse with one major stipulation.

“Only the victim’s greatest enemy can wake them with true love’s kiss,” Regina reads aloud. Her eyes meet his and she is struck by the implication. “This is dark magic.”

Gold nods his head slowly. “Indeed, he obviously never intended on kissing me awake. Had he cast that curse, he would have finally succeeded in ridding himself of me. Luckily, the man is not particularly gifted in the reading department and he cast this curse instead. ” He points at the curse just below. It is yet another sleeping curse with nearly identical ingredients, only this curse calls for deathbell instead of nirnroot. He points to a section. “I believe this will give you the answers you are searching for. Go ahead, don’t be shy.”

Regina stares at the passage in front of her in disbelief; sure that she has fallen prey to another one of Gold’s tricks. “Only the victim’s true romantic love can wake them with true love’s kiss.” She shakes her head and furrows her brows. “How do I know this isn’t another one of your tricks?”

“The proof is, as they say, in the pudding, dearie. In the past, Emma was able to wake Henry up because they shared true love. Why didn’t it work this time? Hmmm?”

His question is met with silence. It seems too good to be true. Years spent longing after Emma, watching with jealousy as she dated someone who was far beneath her. All this time she spent trying to fill the void in her heart with Robin, city ordinances, fighting villains. For years she had been trying to find ways to clear her mind of the blonde that seemed to constantly occupy it and now, maybe, there was a sliver of hope.

"You've always had self-destructive tendencies, dearie, but this is ridiculous. The answer, to everything is literally right in front of your face.It always has been."

"Did Emma have a choice? Did I have a choice or is this destiny playing another one of it's games?," she asks somewhat bitterly. The memory of Robin still stings and perhaps she didn't love him as a lover but she did love him in her own way.

"Did you have a choice?" He repeats as if Regina has asked the most idiotic question he has ever heard. "Of course you didn't have a choice! We don't choose who we love. You don't love Emma because of fate. You love her in spite of it.”

“Yes, I do. Thank you.” He offers her a genuine smile and she turns to leave.

“Oh and Regina? He calls out. “Perhaps consider hyphenating, dearie,” he says with a mischievous grin.

She rolls her eyes and walks back to her car to find a pink citation on the windshield, courtesy of one David Nolan. She notes that the reason for the citation is more detailed than usual. The note is written in large red letters: 

“Car is haphazardly parked on the sidewalk, which is designated for pedestrians only.”

Then in bolder, capital letters: “ NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!!! NOT EVEN MAYORS THAT TOY WITH MY DAUGHTER’S EMOTIONS!!!!!”

She crumples the citation and tosses it in the car, fully aware that she has her work cut out for her. Emma is typically reserved when it comes to sharing her emotions, often choosing to answer the question “how are you doing?” with non-committal grunts. This same Emma who would rather jump into a portal than discuss “feelings” risked rejection for a chance to be with Regina and how did she respond? Total and complete ass-hattery. 

“Ugh,” she groans loudly and attacks the steering wheel with her head. The apparatus honks loudly in protest. “I am an idiot!” she yells, before gaining enough composure to drive back to the mansion and begin work on “Operation Emma.” Operation names are more Henry’s department, but she thought it best to fly solo on this particular mission. Involving her son could get unnecessarily messy.

Regina works for hours, making sure to get all the details just right. Henry walks in a few times and gives her an approving thumbs up. “I think she’s going to love it,” he says after seeing the final result. “But its kind of late. You sure you want to go over there now? What if grams or gramps answers the door?”

She shrugs her shoulders; a gesture that divulges the uncertainty she is unaccustomed to feeling. “I’ll have to cross that bridge when I get there. It's now or never.”

He gives her a quick hug and wishes her luck though he is quick to note that she may not need it. “She’s got it so bad for you,” are his parting words and she can’t help but feel warmth fill her heart at the encouragement.

Regina could poof over to the Charming household but she chooses to drive instead. It gives her enough time to think about what she wants to say to Emma. The truth is that she is at a bit of a loss. How does she go about telling Emma how she feels without scaring her away? The other woman has been known to physically and metaphorically run from declarations of love, but the word "like" seems disingenuous and trite. 

"Emma, I have feelings for you," she tries and decides that she likes the way it sounds. It simple but accurately describes her feelings without being too over the top.

It is 10:07 PM when she arrives at the Charming's with her romantic gesture in hand and her heart on her sleeve. She rehearses her speech a final time and deems it adequate for the occasion. She takes a deep, calming breath, balls her hand into a fist, and gives the door 3 sharp raps.

Then she waits.

It seems like an eternity passes before a very surprised Snow White appears at the door. She is clad in a fuzzy white robe that is adorned by entirely too many birds of various shapes and sizes. 

"Oh, Regina!" She squeaks sounding like the timid school teacher she had been during the curse. "Hello, I wasn't expecting you."

"Hi Snow. Is Emma home?" Regina asks timidly and she feels like like a teenager asking after their prom date. Next thing you know she'll be promising to have Emma back before curfew.

Snow clears her throat loudly and though she is outwardly nervous, assumes a defensive stance. "Yes, she is home," she answers hesitantly. 

Regina moves to enter the apartment but Snow uses her tiny frame to block her way. They size each other up, daring the other woman to make the first move. Regina quirks an eyebrow and Snow caves.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" she squeaks. Her arms are crossed defensively but her shaky voice betrays her and she sounds more flustered than anything else.

Regina rolls her eyes in annoyance. Of all the times for Snow White to grow a backbone."Ugh, You have got to be kidding me, Snow! Let me in!"

"Nope!"

"You insipid…"

"Do you really think this is the way to win me over?" Snow questions, and she sounds far too smug for Regina's liking. She's right though. The power is, unfortunately, in Snow White's tiny little hands.

"Can I speak with Emma?" She tries again.

The other woman shakes her head. "What are your intentions with my daughter?”

Regina groans in response. "I thought you wanted this!" She snaps. "I thought you wanted us to be happy."

Snow softens at the outburst. "I did-I do but all I know is that after dinner with you, my daughter locked herself in her room and hasn't left. I went up there earlier to give her food and she refused! When does Emma turn down food?"

"She doesn't."

"AND she's been crying. All day. Emma doesn't cry. She usually doesn't care enough to cry So, I have to question your intentions." 

The hallway is drafty. Regina is shaking from the cold and it takes all of her effort to hold onto the box in her arms. The day’s activities have worn her down and Snow is compounding the issue. She is tired. Tired of trying to prove herself to the Charming’s. 

She also gets it. If someone were to hurt Henry, they would be on fire before they would even be able to string together an apology. Still, she is hesitant to own up to having feelings for the other woman’s daughter, especially because she spent so much time guarding herself against them. Her and Snow’s complicated history only exacerbates the situation and leaves Regina feeling small, vulnerable, and unworthy. She does the math and concocts a perfectly adequate escape plan. She would apologize for the intrusion and speak with Emma another day, perhaps catch her during a shift at the station. “Sorry,” she whispers softly to a confused Snow, and she begins making her way down the stairs. She gets to the last step when her earlier words to Henry float back to the forefront of her memory. “It's now or never,” she recalls telling her son.

“Shit,” she mumbles in annoyance before bounding up the steps and relentlessly pounding on the door. Snow answers almost immediately, an irritated expression coloring her features. “Regina, its almost 10:30 at night. What do you want?”

Regina gathers her courage. "I want to make her happy!” she practically yells and it almost sounds like a threat. She laughs nervously at the outburst. “I want to make her as happy as she has made me.” She has lowered her voice this time and she hopes with all her might that Snow can sense the urgency and love she feels for Emma. 

“And?” The pixie-haired pain-in-the stares at her blankly, as if none of this means anything. 

Regina rolls her eyes at the inconvenience and takes a deep breath before launching into a speech worthy of the protagonist in a Nora Ephron rom-com. “I want to fix her coffee in the morning and put a few vegetables in her lunch box to offset her ridiculous sugar intake. I want her to rope me into a silly vacation where we dress like tourists, wear silly hats, and I pretend to hate it for the first few hours while Emma smiles at me knowingly. And I want to raise our son together. I want us to go to his soccer games, makeout, and embarrass him. He only has 3 games left in the season, so this needs to happen relatively soon. But More than anything, I just want Emma to wake up in the morning feeling safe and loved.”

Snow's eyes are brimming with unshed tears and she smiles warmly. “You think you can do that for her?”

“Yes, I do.” 

Snow nods her head approvingly and guides Regina into the loft. And now Regina is crying. Gods she hates the Charmings.

“Don’t cry.” Its fond and Regina still can’t believe they have made it this far. “It will mess up your eyeliner and we all know how much my daughter loves a man or woman in eyeliner.”

Regina does know and will be forever flummoxed by Emma’s relationship with the Pirate Who Will Not Be Named. 

“Now go talk to Emma,” Snow orders, leaving no room for argument, not that Regina would. “But before you go…Is that what I think it is?” Snow’s eyes flit towards the box and she carefully lifts the lid. She looks inside and gasps loudly. “Regina this is beautiful.”

“Do you think she will like it?”

“ After this? Regina, if she doesn’t date you, I will!”

They both take a moment to think about the implications of Snow’s statement and are equally perturbed by the thought. Regina pulls a face somewhere between fear and disgust. “That will be unnecessary,” she says curtly before beginning her ascent to Emma’s room. 

Her heart beats louder with each step; hands shaking as they struggle with the obscenely heavy object in their grasp. She has razed villages to the ground. Stood toe to toe with the most powerful monarchs in any realm. Defeated villains that were twice as powerful as her. Even survived a childhood with her evil, literally heartless mother, but this scares her. It has her rethinking every moment of the last few years and for a split second she regrets ever becoming friends with Emma Swan. Regrets combining forces to fight common enemies, teaching the other woman to control a magic that was far too powerful for her body. Regrets brown bagged lunches and family dinners where laughs were shared and a tentative trust was built. But God does she love that beautiful, blonde headache. She loves her so much it feels like her heart is going to burst from the intensity of it.

“Here goes nothing,” Regina mumbles to herself as she reaches the final step and delivers a timid knock to Emma’s door. 

Silence followed by a strangled, “come in.”

Pushing the door open, Regina says a quick prayer to whatever deity may or not be listening: please let this work.

She takes in the room along with the woman sitting in the center of it. Everything is a mess. Its dark. Clothes and broken bottles of wine are haphazardly strewn across the floor and Emma’s face is covered in tear stained tracks that run from her red rimmed eyes. A too large shirt adorns her compact frame and she drowns in the material. The blonde wipes her tears with a balled fist. Staring at Regina through watery eyes, its almost as if she can hardly believe the sight in front of her.

“Regina?” Her voice is small, almost unrecognizable as Emma’s.

She swallows thickly. “Emma.” 

Their eyes lock and for a long time they don’t say anything. They communicate as they normally do, their gazes reaching for the other in silent longing. 

“What are you doing here?” The blonde’s lips purse and her brows furrow, but the anger falls from her face almost as quickly as it came and now she just looks exhausted.

“I-I…” Regina’s mind goes blank. She knows why she is here, in Emma’s room. She is aware that she has no right to ask the blonde for anything, but she also knows that she has to make things right. She can’t, no she refuses, to leave Emma like this; wallowing in a pit of despair (even if she is the reason behind it). “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” She scoffs openly. Her head flies back as she lets out a wry laugh. “You toy with my emotions and all you have to say is I’m sorry?” 

Regina’s throat goes dry and she can’t remember a single,solitary thing she had practiced on the way over. It was all hypothetical and she is ill-equipped to with the other woman’s anger when she so fully deserves to be on the receiving end of it. Any apology she can offer seems insufficient in the face of Emma’s pain. 

“I know it's not enough but-”

“You’re damn right its not enough!” Emma interrupts, eyes aflame. “I put myself out there Regina.I put myself out there for you. You know I’ve never even been interested in women before? But for some reason I just-” she shakes her head bitterly, eyes tightening around the corners. Its clear that she is trying her damnedest not to cry. “I guess I fell for you and I thought you felt the same way, but I guess I saw what I wanted to see.” 

Regina shakes her her emphatically. She can’t have Emma thinking her feelings are not reciprocated. Not again. “Emma, I do have feelings for you-”

“As a co-mother or a friend, but not they way I...” Emma stops mid-sentence, her eyes landing on the box in Regina’s hands. “What’s in the box?”

Regina lets out a sigh of relief. Until this point she has been floundering in a big way. She hopes the gift can convey all the thoughts she has failed to say. She steps forward and carefully hands the box to the other woman who lifts the lid with some trepidation. 

Emma’s mouth hangs open in wonder and Regina feels optimistic for the first time since walking into the room.“Holy shit!” Is- is this?”

Regina nods her head. “Our story on a cake. Its a timeline really, of all our major events.” 

Emma pokes at the miniature fondant version of herself in fascination. “It even has my red jacket.” She follows along the timeline, laughing at the fondant chainsaw that represents “The Great Apple Tree Massacre”, and shakes her head head at the tiny magic bean and palm tree Regina used for Never Land.

“I hate that place,” she mutters under her breath before stopping and pointing at a fondant heart. “I don’t get it,” she says with confusion. “What’s this?”

“That’s when I fell in love with you.” 

Emma’s head snaps up, her eyes wide with disbelief. “What? Why didn't you say anything?”

It's now or never.

She moves as closely as she can to Emma (without knocking the cake over) and gently lifts her chin. Their eyes meet and despite the previous tension Emma seems to welcome the contact. She leans into the touch and her eyes drift shut, and maybe all is not lost.

"I know you think I am fearless. The great Evil Queen or Madame Mayor, but you scare me, Emma. You blew into this town like a hurricane and made me feel things I hadn't felt in a long time. So I made it difficult for you to stay, but you never could take no for an answer. We fought each other,saved the town, and against all odds managed to save our son in Neverland."

Emma smiles at our son and Regina takes it as encouragement to continue. "And I think that's when it started to happen. Those days without Henry seemed to stretch into eternity,but you would hold me closely beneath the light of the stars and promise we would get him back and we did. Then you kissed Hook and Pan was back and I sent you and Henry to New York… and somewhere between meeting Robin and going to the Underworld I felt that I had run out of time, but Emma, I never stopped loving you. I still love you, I've just been too much of a coward to tell you.”

A stray tear escapes and makes its way down Emma’s cheek. Shaking her head, she swats Regina’s hand away and dries the offending teardrop. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to make me feel alone in this…” she gestures loosely between them, her voice raising with every word. “Whatever this is, and then show up at my fucking parent’s house in the middle of the night with food and pretty speeches, making ridiculous claims, because you’re lonely or… I can’t even pretend to understand your motivations….” She briefly pauses her rant to consider the cake in front of her. “God, Regina, did you even bring a fork or spoon?”

She hadn’t. In her haste to speak with Emma she had forgotten to bring any napkins or utensils.

“I’m sorry, I forgot. I can just magic some over.”

But its too late. The blonde has already dug her hands into the cake and is shoveling the confection into her mouth. Her face is covered in red velvet and so is her shirt, but she doesn’t seem to care. She is too busy laying into Regina to stop and consider the crumbs that have fallen onto her comforter. “Anyway, I don't fucking understand you. You say you love me but you reject me when I’m at my most vulnerable and you can’t just undo that with-” She digs her hands back into the box before moving it aside and shoving another fist full of cake into her mouth. Buttercream sits at the corner of Emma’s lips and if the conversation were going in a more positive direction, Regina would probably lick it off, but things were most definitely not going in a positive direction. 

Emma finds the buttercream and licks it off herself, her eyes practically rolling into her skull. “For Fuck’s sake, why is this cake so good?” She yells in between angry bites. “Anyway, you can't just show up here with your thoughtful cake and expect everything to be ok. You know what?" She says stabbing the air with an accusatory finger. "Fuck you! Fuck you and your stupid cake that I can’t stop eating. Fuck your ability to walk in heels. Fuck your perfect hair and your beautiful fucking smile. Goddamn you Regina!"

And maybe this is terrible timing but Regina lurches forward capturing Emma's lips in a kiss. They linger there for a few moments before the blonde pushes her away, a hand still resting on Regina's chest. "Don't. Don't do that unless you mean it."

"I mean it with every fiber of my being."

It's the right thing to say because soon Emma's hands are pulling Regina on top of her and unbuttoning her blouse with a speed and precision Regina did not know she was capable of.

"I hate you," Emma whispers between kisses, but it's fond and she's smiling far too much for the words to be true. 

Regina playfully nips and pulls at Emma's bottom lip with her teeth. "I hate you too."

And it's really happening. Years of mounting tension finally culminating in this moment. Regina's body is buzzing with excitement and an overwhelming need as nimble fingers remove article after article of clothing and the only thing separating them is a pair of Emma's lacy red underwear that look strikingly similar to the ones she was wearing the day Regina threatened her with apples. She reaches down to remove them, until Emma places a soft hand on hers.

"Wait, are we really doing this at my parent's house?"

Regina smiles at her seductively. "I can't think of a better place."

This is her revenge and her happiness: making Emma come undone again and again until she screams Regina's name so many times she forgets her own, their bodies tangling together in a writhing, sweaty heap. Snow White yelling for them to quiet down and them deciding to go for another round just to spite her. Regina is insatiable and Emma gives as good as she gets, never relenting until Regina is gasping for air and begging for respite.

The next morning she wakes with a start, convinced it was all a dream, but her leg is wrapped around Emma’s waist and she can feel the other woman’s heart beating steadily beneath her. She disentangles herself from the blonde, moving quietly so as not to wake her, and after “borrowing” a hoodie and shorts that are short enough to be considered underwear, she heads towards the kitchen. She is awake early, but not early enough. Snow is nursing a cup of tea and eyeing her warily from her seat at the counter. They acknowledge each other with a silent nod and Regina bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. 

True to her word she fixes Emma’s coffee: 90% milk, 10% coffee and moves to bring it to her when she bumps into something solid.

“Hey,” Emma greets shyly. Her blonde hair has been piled high into a very messy bun and she is wearing last night’s red velvet stained t-shirt, but Regina thinks she looks absolutely stunning.

She offers her the coffee and a shy smile of her own. “Hey.” 

Snow shakes her head at the pair and mumbles “I am not sticking around for this,” before making a beeline for the door.

They both laugh and Emma pulls Regina into an embrace,peppering soft kisses on her neck. “You were incredible last night.”

“I know,” Regina responds with a smirk.

“And we have the house to ourselves…”

The offer is tempting. Really tempting but-“We have Henry’s game in an hour.”

Emma groans in annoyance.

They drive to the mansion on Mifflin, Emma lamenting their son’s sudden interest in athletics the entire way over. He is a good kid though, and is already waiting for them on the porch when they arrive. Emma begins to apologize for their tardiness, it's only five minutes, but Henry shakes his head insisting he “already knows.”

Emma fixes Regina with a knowing look. She whispers “I told you our son is a smug little shit,” while nudging Regina with her hip.

“Kid, what do you know?”

Henry rolls his eyes and in this moment he looks so much like Regina. “Mom drove to your house at 10:00 at night to show you her Big Romantic Gesture...take that however you want... and she didn’t come back until this morning. On top of that, she is late and wearing the same clothes she had on yesterday. I think I can figure it out.”

Shit. She did forget to change. 

Regina poofs into a new wardrobe and the trio make their way to the game; the mother’s huddling together as the players run onto the field. They share warm cider and hold hands throughout the competition, ignoring the whispers that are directed towards them. In the past this would have made Regina’s blood boil, but in this moment she is too happy to care. 

With seconds left in the game Henry weaves past 2 defenders to score the winning goal. His teammates huddle around him, lifting him onto their shoulders. He shoots his mother’s a thumbs up and they return the gesture before Regina yanks on Emma’s collar and pulls her into a passionate kiss. Henry contorts his face in disgust and his teammates, in a knee jerk reaction to seeing two women kiss, drop him on the ground.

Regina thinks she hears the captain say something along the lines of “that's so hot,” before she finally breaks away from the kiss. After all, she is here to support and traumatize Henry, not provide horny teenage boys with more “spank material” as Emma calls it.

Emma is breathless and her cheeks are a bright red. She presses their foreheads together before whispering, “I hate you.”

Regina’s heart is fuller than it has ever been. “I hate you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've enjoyed the story. Please leave me a kudos or drop a comment. I'd love to hear what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> as always, please r/r :)


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